"What are you saying?!"
Oskal grabbed the collar of the vice-captain. As Oskal had been known for his happy and jolly attitude, this new side of his superior left the vice-captain befuddled. The vice-captain replied with trembling lips.
"T-that is just something I overheard."
"Is it true? I'm asking if it's true!"
The vice-captain shook his head in reply
"I-I'm not sure. I-I only happened to overhear it from Prince Pygni when he was drunk myself…"
Oskal grit his teeth. His subordinate had only managed to hear one thing. It was that Thoma was being held prisoner within the palace. Not only that, he had been held on accounts of smuggling narcotics, abusing children, threatening priests, and other nonsense. If he had just heard it randomly, he might have brushed it aside, but it was different for it to have come from Prince Pygni's mouth. More than anything, the timing of when Salem had chosen to confine them seemed to be too opportunistic.
"Shit, that bastard of a Pope! I knew he was scheming something, but I didn't expect him to pull this kind of dirty stunt."
Oskal knew the truth, that Salem hated Thoma. He also knew that Salem's attitude toward Thoma had changed ever since he had learned Thoma was once a slave.
"W-wait a minute, sir! Just what are you planning on doing?"
"Huh? Isn't it obvious? I'm going to punch that bastard, Salem, and free Thoma!"
"A-are you crazy?"
His subordinate was aghast at Oskal's words. All the other knights gathered in the room also looked surprised and jumped up.
"Hey! Stop your Captain!" the vice-captain yelled.
They all quickly blocked the entrance in an attempt to stop Oskal.
"What are you guys doing? Are you guys talking back to your superior? Huh?"
"P-please think a bit before acting! Not only is it dangerous to badmouth the Pope when you're our leader, but you're intending to take a swing at his face? Isn't this dangerous for the kingdom, diplomatically?"
Oskal was taken aback and went silent for a moment.
"If you're not careful, it might even bring harm to the king!"
"But… Ugh…"
Oskal rubbed his forehead in agitation. Just then, the door to the room burst open.
"Puahaha! Fun. So fun! The alcohol here is really tasty, isn't it? Haha! What would father do if he knew that I'd been drinking? He would definitely be angry!"
A plump little figure stumbled in. It was Prince Pygni fumbling with the door before finally closing it behind him. When he noticed the tense atmosphere of the room, he paused and hiccuped.
"…W-what is it? Why is the mood like this?"
The knights sighed in exasperation at Prince Pygni's words. Oskal stared dumbly at the prince and muttered to himself.
"If I ask the prince…"
"What?"
"W… wouldn't it be okay if I asked for the prince's help?"
The vice-captain looked pointedly at the prince.
"It's possible, but… I wonder if the Pope will go along with the prince's words."
"Everyone, get out."
His men were confused by the sudden order. Oskal looked around at the knights, then shouted.
"I said everyone leave!"
The knights were surprised by his sudden outburst and hurriedly left the room. Even the prince had never seen him like this and shrank back, looking meeker than usual.
Pygni tried to leave along with the knights, but stopped when Oskal said his name.
"Prince Pygni."
"Eh… Eh?"
Prince Pygni flinched as he slowly turned to look at Oskal. The door had been closed by the knights after they left, leaving only the two of them in the room.
"I wish to hear something from you, Prince."
"W-what is it, Oskal? That is, you know. I'm drunk right now, so I'm not so good at listening. S-so, can't we continue this later? Hm?"
His cheeks shook softly as he trembled, and his pupils quivered. Seeing Pygni like this, Oskal grit his teeth.
'Must I rely on this pig of a prince?!'
Having no other option, Oskal opened his mouth to speak.
"The news about the former Hero, Thoma, being captured. Who did you hear it from?"
At those words, Prince Pygni's lips curled up.
***
Salem arrived at the interrogation room. The tail of his religious garb—which so long that it was trailing on the floor—was stained red from the bloody water. However, he didn't have time to concern himself with such things. As he passed by each room, the interrogators doing their duty were surprised and approached him, moving to kneel and lowering their heads. He ignored them; his final destination was the iron maiden.
"Open it."
At his words, the interrogator hurriedly opened the door. Insects and filth poured out in a wave. Seeing what was inside, Salem, the interrogator, and the Captain of the Holy Knights froze in shock.
"… Good to see you, Salem Gatteschuranche."
He was standing. His legs and arms had been tied. Normally, standing restrained in such a tight space would make one lose their balance and fall, but he was standing on his own two feet. He'd used the sharp spikes embedded into this back as supports to keep his body upright. He turned his head to face Salem, as though he could see him clearly despite being blindfolded.
"I'll ask you this, Salem Gatteschuranche. What happened to the children and Sister Ellie?"
The torturer gulped at his words. His eyes were definitely covered, but he seemed to know both who was in front of him and where they stood
Salem turned to the Captain of the Holy Knights and spoke.
"Tell him the truth."
The Captain lowered his head and muttered quietly.
"They're children from an abbey behind on its taxes and donations. There was no other church or abbey in which they could be left, so they are going to be drafted into the allied forces of the Hero. Also, Sister Ellie was charged with the use of narcotics, but as there was no evidence apart from her symptoms, she is currently imprisoned. She'll be sent to the front lines as a medic for the allied forces."
Salem looked at Thoma expectantly.
"As he said, Sir Hero."
"Salem!"
Thoma thrashed around and the spikes skewering his body made terrible sounds as they began to pop out of his back. Blood seeped out of his many wounds, causing Thoma to waver as he approached Salem.
"Release… them."
"… I can do no such thing, Sir Hero."
"… You damned bastard. Son of a bitch… You utter piece of shit."
A smile formed on Salem's lips at Thoma's muttering. They were insults, but they were more pleasant to hear than Thoma's pain-filled screams. That was it. His opponent was angry! He was expressing resentment. To someone like Salem Gatteschuranche himself!
"Haha! This is the first time I've seen you use such profanities. I prefer it to when you're acting oh-so-noble!"
Thoma's face began to shift through several emotions in quick succession. At first, his eyes were filled with abject loathing, but before long his body shook and he relaxed. He knelt down and lowered his head, speaking only when his head was flat on the floor.
"… I beg you. Do not kill them. You're bothered by my presence, right? Then I'll leave this place! I'll leave the capital! No, I'll leave this country. I'll live in hiding quietly and do anything you ask! So, please just let them be…!"
Salem looked down at Thoma and guffawed uncontrollably. It was so pitiful, he couldn't help but laugh. The man he had been trying so hard to overcome had easily submitted. Yet, he'd gained nothing from this victory. Nothing at all. Nothing. There was nothing! Even now, Akareal was trying to save this former Hero with all her might! She had even gone to the extent of abandoning her morals!
Salem licked his dry lips and leaned back. He began massaging his shoulders; he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
"Hah, you're groveling now? What did Sir Hero do wrong? Want to know the truth? You did nothing wrong. Yep, nothing at all. So, do you know why I'm doing this to you?"
Salem squatted and undid the blindfold that was covering Thoma's face. He quietly muttered, looking directly into Thoma's eyes in order to let him know the truth.
"It's simply because I don't like you."
Thoma's eyes grew wide.
"That's all. I didn't like you. It bothered me that you were once a slave, and the fact that she is flailing about to save you further annoys me. That's it."
— Ω —